Abstract
It can’t be ignored that euthanasia is an issue which has social implications beyond individual discretion. Its practice is conditioned by various factors, including social, economic, cultural, ideological, ethical and legal factors. So far there is no consensus reached by all social and cultural groups or moral communities in today’s China. Although many ethicists argue that euthanasia can be morally justified under certain strict conditions, according to the interpretation of China’s criminal law, active euthanasia is illegal, so it can’t be legally put into practice in clinical work. However, euthanasia, including active euthanasia, does exist. From our point of view, it is urgent to legalize euthanasia and it has been confirmed by innumerable, multileveled surveys and typical cases. Since the first Chinese legal case of active euthanasia in Hanzhong City in Shaanxi Province (1986) and a hotly debated lawsuit in Funing County, Jiangsu Province (1994), it can be seen clearly that the attitudes of Chinese people towards euthanasia have changed.
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© 2003 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
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Shi, DP., Yu, L. (2003). Euthanasia should be Legalized in China: Personal Perspective. In: Qiu, RZ. (eds) Bioethics: Asian Perspectives. Philosophy and Medicine, vol 80. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-0419-9_15
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-0419-9_15
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-90-481-6509-4
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